“Senator Menendez was indicted on numerous federal felonies,” McConnell said. “He is one of only twelve U.S. Senators to have been indicted in our history. His trial shed light on serious accusations of violating the public’s trust as an elected official, as well as potential violations of the Senate’s Code of Conduct.”

“Because of the seriousness of these charges, I am calling on the Senate Ethics committee to immediately investigate Senator Menendez’s actions which led to his indictment,” the statement continued.

The members of the Senate Ethics Committee, led by Chairman Johnny Isakson of Georgia, said Thursday that they would be resuming work in relation to alleged corruption by Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.

“In 2012, the Committee initiated a preliminary inquiry into alleged misconduct by Senator Robert Menendez. In early 2013, consistent with its precedent and in consideration of the Department of Justice’s criminal investigation, the Committee deferred its inquiry. At this time, the Committee intends to resume its process,” the committee members said in a statement.

The committee could have some time on the Menendez case, however, if the federal government decides to retry it.

“It is an extraordinary conjunction of matters here,” said Robert Walker, an of counsel at Wiley Rein and former chief counsel and staff director at the Senate Ethics panel. “The committee has flexible rules. They have a flexible approach to staffing and they have a very good core in place now such that they will be able to handle the logistics.”

The panel typically does not publicly announce preliminary investigations, but legal experts say it is warranted in high-profile cases, such as with Menendez and Franken.

For staffers on the Ethics Committee, the heightened attention may involve dusting off a few cobwebs.

The panel has not conducted a major public investigation since 2011. That year, the committee appointed a special counsel to investigate accusations against Sen. John Ensign. The Nevada Republican had an affair with a campaign aide who was married to a top staffer, leading to other allegations of improper use of his position.

Since then, the committee has announced other investigations, like a 2012 preliminary inquiry into improper conduct by Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn — which ended in a letter of admonition.

But many have not risen beyond an initial look. In 2016, for example, only five of the 63 alleged violations the panel received underwent a preliminary inquiry and none resulted in disciplinary action.

The confluence of potentially three major cases would be a first in the panel’s history. To deal with the added pressure, the committee can increase its staff as necessary, or appoint a special counsel who would also have certain staffing privileges.

Walker also had high praise for current staff director and chief counsel Deborah Mayer.

“They have a highly professional staff led by a very experienced former federal prosector and military prosecutor,” he said. “If anybody can marshall the troops, I suspect she can.”